Mikaela Shiffrin writes her legend a little more. The American equaled Ingemar Stenmark's Alpine Skiing World Cup victory record (86) on Friday March 10, after winning the giant slalom in Are (Sweden). The Colorado skier has even had the luxury of joining the Swedish legend of world skiing on her land. Stenmark does not hold it against him. The champion, who is discreet in the media, had shown himself to be complimentary, shortly before the Are events (giant on Friday and slalom on Saturday), towards the one who had already broken the record for victories at the beginning of January. (82) of her compatriot Lindsey Vonn.
"I'm happy for her. It's really deserved. She is an excellent skier, with a fantastic technique. She is very gifted. She seems to be very friendly, too. So I'm glad it's her," Ingemar Stenmark, who built all of his slalom (40) and giant (46) successes in the 1970s and 1980s, told Agence France-Presse.
The double Olympic champion from Lake Placid (1980) goes even further, since he sees Shiffrin being "the first to win 100 races, and even more". The Swede is right. A phenomenon of precociousness, the versatile American – she has won in all ski disciplines in the World Cup – has never spoken of retirement. And his dominance is such that, barring injury, his reign is not about to be contested.
World class
On Friday, the champion showed off her class in two controlled runs of the Are giant slalom, winning ahead of the Italian Federica Brignone by 64 hundredths and the local stage, the Swedish Sara Hecor (92 hundredths). – Frenchwoman Tessa Worley finished in 5th place, 1'78'' behind. The American thus wins the small globe of the specialty after that of the slalom.
"What a spectacular day. I knew that the giant's globe had been won before I started in the second run, it's something I fought for. […] It's incredible, "reacted the native of Vail (Colorado) at the microphone of the International Ski Federation, which did not revive her record of equal victories.
Shiffrin has dominated the women's alpine ski circuit since the season opener Nov. 19 in Levi, Finland, with 12 wins in 27 races contested. Her lead is such that she was already guaranteed to win the general classification for the fifth time in her career before the weekend in Are and the finals in Soldeu (Andorra) next week.
The seven-time world champion (titled in giant at the Courchevel Worlds in February) can now focus on the Are slalom on Saturday in a resort where she scored the first victory of her career in December 2012. If he were to win, Shiffrin would put an end to the debate over alpine skiing's "GREATEST OF ALL TIMES". A nice gift in perspective, two days before his 28th birthday.
